Wildefire [Hardcover]

Karsten Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2011

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

I am the fieriest depths of hell.

I am the surface of the sun.

I am the belly of a volcano.
I am the unstoppable force that
has formed new islands, and the
same unstoppable force that has
brought cities to their knees.

I am the volcano goddess who has
survived a thousand years.

I am Ashline Wilde, and I may
not survive another thousand
years, but I'll go down in flames
before I go up in smoke.

About the Author

Karsten Knight has been writing since the age of 6, when he completed his first masterpiece: a picture book series about an adventurous worm.  In the two decades that have followed, Karsten has worked as a proofreader, a bookseller, and a college admissions counselor before he finally decided that his true calling was to be a volcano goddess biographer. He resides in Boston, where he lives for fall weather and football, and is on a far-too-successful quest to visit every restaurant in the city. For more information on Karsten or to watch his video blog, visit www.karstenknight.com.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (July 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442421177
• ISBN-13: 978-1442421172
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karsten Knight has been writing since the age of six, when he completed his first masterpiece: a picture book series about an adventurous worm. In the two decades that have followed, Karsten worked as a proofreader, a bookseller, and a college admissions counselor before finally deciding that his true calling was as a volcano goddess biographer. He resides in Boston, where he lives for fall weather and football, and is on a far-too-successful quest to visit every restaurant in the city. For more information on Karsten or to watch his video blog, visit karstenknight.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unputdownable Debut!, August 11, 2011

By 

Lori Lawson (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wildefire (Hardcover)

I'm not sure what I expected from Wildefire...I saw the rave reviews, but I still wasn't completely convinced. The premise sounded a little been there, done that to me. Wow, was I wrong. I discovered from page 1 that this book was something different. Wildefire is something awesome.

This book revolves around a mythology theme, which is becoming pretty popular in YA lately. I'm not complaining about that at all. I love mythology. I especially love Karsten Knight's unique take on it. You don't really get a full explanation or back story until pretty late in the book, but that was never a problem for me because Ash was so compelling I sometimes forgot she was supposed to be a mysterious goddess.

Ashline was my most favorite part of the book. From the first scene I knew I was going to love that girl. She is totally kick ass and brave without being annoyingly stubborn. She was a pretty perfect character in my opinion. All of the secondary characters were fantastic! They were all really well developed which was great because they are all essential to the story. Eve, the villain and Ashline's sister, was wonderfully done. Wow, I hated her. I wanted to punch her in the face on many occasions, that's the sign of a well done villain in my book.

Knight definitely knows how to hook you very early on. The events of the first 20 pages were kind of huge and it sets the tone for the rest of the book. It's unputdownable after that. I think Karsten Knight has only just begun. Wildefire is an outstanding debut and I'm dying for more.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stuck in the middleground, July 26, 2011

By 

Ashleigh "The Screaming Nitpicker" (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wildefire (Hardcover)

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

After an incident in her hometown leaves a girl dead by a lightning strike (that may or may not have something to do with her sister), Ashline Wilde is happy to get away to Blackwood Academy in California on the opposite side of the country. She just wants a fresh start, the opportunity to be normal, and maybe a romance with that really cute park ranger. Then she gets a bombshell dropped on her: she, a few of her classmates, and even her sister Eve are reincarnated gods and goddesses. When Eve comes back into Ash's life with intentions that aren't the kindest, Ash will have to master her fiery powers and face down Eve once again.

I got pressured into reading this book. Many of my Goodreads friends read it and their opinions fell on both sides of the spectrum with a few in the middle. Some of my friends (and you know who you are) asked me if I'd read it and said I should when I replied that no, Wildefire wasn't in my reading pile. Now I've read it and I'll parachute into that middleground. Not good, not bad, and certainly not a "me" book.

What seemed to attract so many people to it was the promising premise and the diversity of its characters so many readers were wishing for. On those, Wildefire delivered. The premise was a fresh one and the cast had a diversity in races I wish the rest of YA literature could embrace. I love having characters from all different backgrounds--Polynesian, Japanese, Haitian, and Egyptian, to start--but their actual characterization leaves a lot to be desired. None of them have their own distinct personalities that set them apart from one another and they sound almost alike in what they say.

I'm picky about romance in YA books and hardly notice them anymore because I'm not much of a romance person, but I kind of liked what Ashline and Colt had. Yeah, Colt says some pretty creepy things sometimes, but I've seen much worse and I can't expect every character ever to be good at words because some people (including me) are bad at words. Their development is good and their date into the woods at sunset was a great scene both for them and as a scene in a book. Certainly not my new favorite couple, but they're fun to read about.

The first chapter of the book is infamously divisive due to the violence and the book nearly lost me there too. I've read the myths too and I know the goddesses tend to go after the women and not the cheating gods of spouses, but that doesn't mean I can't be irritated. There were more than a few things off with how the characters acted, especially with the principal just standing by and letting a girl be beaten up by two different people. It isn't a book easily judged by the quality of its first chapter, that's for sure.

The prose and writing has its strong moments, especially during action scenes where Ash and her friends have to fight or in Ash's visions of a small girl being studied by scientists. Then it attempts to be pretty prose and only succeeds occasionally. There were more than a few "wait, what?" sort of moments to do with the prose. I would quote them so you could see what I mean, but I would rather not because it's an ARC. Cutting some of the failed pretty prose attempts before final publication would be a great idea.

Wildefire in its first half is somewhat dull. Ash is settling in at her new school, meeting and getting to know all the important players, but very little happens until about thirty-five or forty percent of the way in. Maybe this has to do with how impossible it was for me to concentrate on this book. I never became emotionally invested in the characters or their situations either. It's not a good thing when I have to sit down and force myself to read a book because I can't pay attention to it. It wasn't that I wasn't in a reading mood--I've been reading a lot the past few days--but Wildefire couldn't keep my attention.

The second half is when the story really starts to kick in, but close to the end of the book (and I admit this with shame), I skipped about seventy pages to get to the end because I still wasn't interested and I was ready to get the book over with. I don't feel like I missed anything vitally important. A truly good book is good from the first page to the last; readers shouldn't have to endure a dull first half to get to a worthwhile second half.

I don't know if I've said this before, but I'll close my review by saying it: I WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP ENDING THEIR BOOKS WITH CLIFFHANGERS. You don't need to use cliffhangers to make people read the next book in your series. If the reader liked the first book, they'll probably read the books that come after it. Ending books with cliffhangers just results in frustrated readers. Wildefire definitely wasn't a "me" book with all its strengths and flaws, but give it a try if you're interested.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and beautifully written, August 24, 2011

By 

flamingo1325 "A Good Addiction" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wildefire (Hardcover)

The Short Version:
Unique in concept and engaging in play out, Wildefire covers a range of emotions and builds a strong plot with fantastic characters. Filled with witty banter and sarcastic retorts, and written in an incredibly fluid, intelligent way, this one is both fun and interesting. Ashline is a phenomenal central character, smoothly built and perfectly damaged to create a well rounded, fully dimensional and relatable protagonist. The plot has a very steady pace, and with easily inserted world building but plenty of mystery, Wildefire rockets out of the gate and doesn't hold back.

The Extended Version:
Ashline has an incredible internal strength that explodes off the pages from the start and doesn't relent. Even when she's unsure about something, Ash never backs down or makes excuses for herself. Her sarcasm is hilarious and she always has a come back for everything, no matter the situation. Even when forced to face some hard truths not only about herself but others, Ashline finds a way to handle it in a way that says so much about her character, while still being understandable and fun for the reader. She is fierce in all the best ways, gentle at just the right moments, and intelligent in the most refreshing of manners.

Apart from Ashline, there are several others characters who play a strong role and have pretty large presences throughout. Eve, Ashline's older sister, shows up at the most unexpected but perfectly timed moments, and seems to wreak havoc wherever she goes. Knight does a remarkable job showcasing the full nature of the relationship between these two, from the connection of sisterhood to the push and pull of their differing personalities and actions. Despite her violent overtones, Eve has some softer moments, pitching her in a subtly sympathetic light that has a lasting impact. Cole has an intriguing nature from the first time he steps onto the pages, and is suave and smooth while still unsure in all the right ways to make him downright delectable and memorable. Raja is my favorite character of the bunch, as witty and on her toes as Ashline and makes some fantastic character strides. Though she comes across at first as the stereotypical gorgeous snob, she is far from it and Knight weaves this perfectly throughout. Closing out the cast of characters is Rolfe and Ade, two boys who are swoon worthy and completely fun, and Jackie, who fits into things in an interesting way, and is a great friend to Ash.

Though the characters stand out prominently, and have a beautiful kinship between them that plays an integral part in the whole story, the plot also has a lasting effect. With new elements mixing with some polished, known concepts, Wildefire covers the gauntlet from downright creepy to empowering. Intertwining mythologies and giving a very strong contemporary and human component to it, Knight has built something that is unlike anything else. The worldbuilding happens in a very easy way, often coming through quietly without the reader fully realizing it until later. Playing heavily on building mystery while still revealing new information at a steady rate as well, Knight has woven a perfect mystery in a fun and fresh way.

Rounding out this book's homerun in quality is the writing. Though written in third person, this one puts the reader right into Ashline's mind throughout and forges a very intense connection from the start. Never once did I find myself drifting out of her head, nor did I notice the third person perspective for the bulk of the story. With gorgeous, noteworthy descriptions and a fantastic grasp on and use of the English language at its finest, Knight not only showcases his storytelling skills but his writing talents as well. The descriptions have a great flow, never coming off as bulky or forced, and create a very firm imagery. Even with this, there is still a very distinct and clear voice that clearly screams Ashline, while still giving intonation to the other characters as well.

Though ending on a killer, jaw dropping cliffhanger, Knight wraps up much of this book's events while still leaving it in a place where the reader will have no way of predicting what's coming next. There are plenty of completely unexpected twists and reveals, and the full magnitude of everything laid down in this installment is impressive. The chapter set up also adds an interesting overall element to the book, breaking it not only down by day but into three sections, with an interlude to each that adds a huge level of mystery. The transitions between, however, are very smooth, and tie together by the end of the book. Interesting and fun more than anything, but still harboring plenty of intense moments, and with some very well done action scenes, Wildefire breaks new ground both in concept and play out.